Pipe joint



De'c. 7, 1937. A. E. oSBoRN 2,101,155

PIPE JQINT Filed 001'.. 5, 1936 l' 'V "A v INVENTOR Patented Dec. 7,1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

My invention relates to a pipe joint, or means for attaching fittings orcouplings to pipe or other objects, which will not only firmly retainthe parts to be connected in position, but also forms a 5 leak proofjoint capable of withstanding considerable pressure. This joining meansis very inexpensive, as threads, bolts, etc., are eliminated, and can beadapted to a large variety of conditions and uses without departure fromthe spirit l and scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 represents a longitudinalsectional view of my invention appliedbetween a pipe and l fitting.

Figure 2 represents a longitudinal sectional view of my inventionapplied to a coupling for connecting two pipes.

v Figure 3 represents a longitudinal sectional 20 view of the joiningmeans of Figs. 1 and 2 in a modified coupling permitting a differentmethod of assembling the device.

Figure 4 represents a longitudinal sectional view of my inventionapplied to a joint between 25 a tting or -other article and a covertherefor.

Figure 5 representsa longitudinal part sectional view of a modication ofFigure 4, and

Figure 6 represents a longitudinal sectional View of a modication of myinvention as illus- 3o trated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shown appliedto a fitting similar to that of Figure l.

In Figure 1 my invention is arranged to fasten, with a leak-proof joint,the pipe or tube I0 into the tting 20. This tting 20 is provided with a35 socket which at 2l ts the pipe I0 with relatively little clearancewhile at 22 it has considerable clearance. Between these two diierentdiameter parts the f1tting is provided with a circumferential channel 25and with an aperture 26 which perforates the wall of the tting and opensinto the channel. 'I'here is also provided, in order to complete myinvention, a wire or cord I of metal or any other relatively hard andstrong material and a second wire or cord 2 of a soft 45 metal or arelatively soft material suitable for packing purposes.

'I'he method of assembling this joint is as followsz-The ends of thewires I and 2 are passed thru the aperture 26 of the tting 20 and out of50 the enlarged opening 22 of the socket therein and the pipe I0 isthereafter put in position within the socket with the wires I and 2extending thru the clearance between the pipe and enlarged part 22 ofthe socket opening. The pipe 55 I0 (or tting 20'if it is moreconvenient) is then turned with the ends of the wires I and 2 thatextend beyond the clearance held from movement relative to the pipevwith the result that the part of both the wires I vand 2 that extendsoutside of the aperture -26 ywill be simultaneously 5 pulled thru theaperture and wound about the pipe I0 until the channel 25 is lled to theextent desired to produce a tight joint and retain the pipe in position.Owing to the fact that the wire I (which functions as a retaining means)is of l0 relatively strong material it is easily possible to obtain avery high pressure on the exterior of the pipe before the strain ofpulling the wire thru the aperture is sufficient to break the same and,in some cases, an actual groove will be formed in the pipe I0 before thewire I breaks,thus holding the pipe very securely.

At the same time the wire 2 (which functions as a packing) is compressedwithva very high pressure and, While it may break before the desiredamount of wire I is in position, that part of the wire 2 that is alreadyin the channel` 25 would be subject to so much pressure that it would becaused to fill all points where leakage might take place and thus formsa very tight joint. It will be noticed that the object of the clearanceat 22 in the pipe socket of the tting 20 is to enable the ends of theWires I and 2 to pass outside the tting adjacent to the pipe I0 so thatthe ends can be held from movement in 30 relation to the pipe during therst turns of the pipe or fitting in the process of winding the wiresinto the socket and that this feature is in accordance with and servesthe same purpose as the construction described and claimed in my patentfor a Protector, No. 1,949,431 of March 6, 1934, and will not herein befurther dealt with.v

In Figure 2 is shown the joint illustrated in Figure l and justdescribed applied to a coupling for joining pipe. In this figure my pipejoints are at each end of the coupling 20 and one of them is shown ashaving the two wires I and2 wound in position while the otheris shownwith four wires I, 2, 3 and 4 passed thru the aperture 26 and clearanceat 22. The joint last to be tightened would preferably be made up byturning the pipe enteringl this joint after the coupling has beenvapplied to the other pipe by rotating the coupling,

however, in some cases, both joints between the coupling and pipes canbe tightened simultaneously by rotating the coupling with both pipesstationary provided the proportions of the parts 'and wires are suchthat approximately equal pressures can be vobtained in both joints whenthe tightening is completed. A modiiication'of 55 this coupling designis illustrated in Figure 3 in which figure the coupling is shown in thecourse of its application to the ends of the two pipes I and Il. In thecoupling of this figure the centralizing ange 2l of Figure 2 iseliminated thus permitting the coupling to be pushed entirely over theend of one of the pipes when lthe pipe line is being assembled and latermoved to encompass the ends of both pipes before the wires aretightened.This arrangement has advantages in some cases.

In Figure 4 is shown another application of my invention in that thetting 20 may be the rim of an inspection opening of a tank or boiler orthe end of a bottle, barrel, drum or container around the openingthereof while instead of the pipe I0 a plug or cover I 0a is arranged tobe held in this opening of the tting or equivalent part.A Owing to thefact that this plug Illa can, unlike separate wires twisted or braidedtogether, or it may be a single homogeneous wire of such material andsize that it can be readily bent in passing thru the aperture andwinding about the pipe or internal member.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:-

1. A tting having a channel and provided with an aperture intersectingsaid channel, and a means for retaining a member within said fitting andfor preventing leakage adjacent said means of retention, comprising awire of relatively hard material and a second wire of relatively softmaterial, both said wires being adapted to be simultaneously wound thrusaid aperture and into said channel by relative rotation between saidfitting and said member.

. 2, A fitting having a channel and provided with an apertureintersecting said channel, and

the pipe I0 of the preceding gu'res, be especiallyf. .f .ama"s' *forretaining a member within said formed, it is, therefore, shown asprovided with a channel I5 and also with an aperture I6 inter- 'sectingthe channel whereby the ends of the retaining wire I and the packingwire 2 can be passed thru this aperture I6 and reached and heldimmovable in relation to the plug Illa while the wires are being woundinto position. It will be noticed that the clearance at 22 of thepreceding figures is rendered unnecessary and that the socket for theplug can, except for the channel, be of uniform diameter. Thisarrangement of my invention is, in certain of its features, related toand claimed in my co-pending application for a Means for attachingmembers to the interior of hollow articles, Serial No. 741.061 ledAugust 23, 1934, now Patent No. 2,070,296 of February 9, 1937. A smallmodification of the arrangement of my invention shown in Figure 4 is,however, shown in Figure 5 in which a clearance is provided at 22 forthe wires I and 2 to pass thru, so

that they can be held, and, therefore, this par- `ticular design is, inthis respect, similar to the device of my aforementioned Patent No.1,949,431. The ends of the Wires I and 2 are, after being passed thruthe clearance, shown as being passed thru a hole I1 of the ange of theplug so that the ange can bear against the tting 20.

In Figure 6 is shown a modication of my pipe joint as shown in thepreviously described gures which modification is illustrated incombination with the Figure 1 type of fitting although it can be appliedto any use and used in any way to which the preceding forms of myinvention can be adapted. In this modification the channel 25 is changedin form and the aperture 26 intersects the channel thru its wall 28towards the outer end of the tting 20. The inner Wall 29 of the channelis preferably arranged at a very small angle to the outside of the pipeI0 so that, as the Wires I and 2 are wound into the channel thru theaperture -2li, they would be pressed longitudinally into this taperedportion of the channel with a Wedge eiect thus exerting a greaterpressure on the outside of the pipe than would be obtained by the nalwindingof the Wires I and 2 against the walls of the channel as occursin the preceding forms of my invention. 'I'his modication also has theadvantage of having the aperture at a point distant from the inner endof the pipe about which leakage must take place and there is, therefore,more resistance to leakage taking place thru the aperture.

In the foregoing description and appended claims each of the elementsreferred to as a wire can be stranded or composed of a number of.riltting and for. preventing leakage adjacent said means of Iretention,comprising a 'plurality of' wires-some of said wires being composed ofmaterials having substantially diiferent characteristics from other ofsaid wires and all said wires being adapted to be simultaneously woundthru said aperture and into said channel by relative rotation betweensaid tting and said member.

3. A means for forming a joint between an open endedl member having acircumferential channel within said open end and an aperture thru itswall and intersecting said channel, and a second member having acylindrical portion extending into said open end of said open endedmember beyond the said channel, comprising a wire of relatively hard.strong material, in said channel and extending into said aperture,'and asecond wire of relatively soft plastic material also in said channel andextending into said aperture, both of said wires surrounding saidcylindrical portion of said second mentioned member.

4. A joint comprising a member having a cylindrical portion, anopen-ended member into which said cylindrical portion of said firstmentioned member extends and having a circumferential channel Withinsaid open end surrounding the said cylindrical portion of said vfirstmentioned member whereby said channel forms an enlarged space around thesaid cylindrical portion with integral parts of said open ended memberfitting more closely about said cylindrical portion at each side of saidchannel, and a wire in said channel for retaining said first mentionedmember in position in said open end of said second mentioned member, anda second wire, also in said channel, for preventing leakage thru thejoint, both'of said last mentioned wires filling said channel, with saidleakage preventing wire being compressed by said retaining Wire and withsaid retaining Wire also pressing against said first mentioned memberand said open ended member.

5. A joint comprising a member having a cylindrical portion, an openended member into y member in position in said open end of said secondmentioned member, and a second wire, also in said channel and encirclingsaid rst mentioned member, for preventing leakage thru the joint, andmeans whereby said retaining wire presses against said leakagepreventing wire, said first mentioned member and said open ended member,said means being operable by relative rotation between the members.

6. A means for forming a joint' between an open-ended member having acircumferential channel within said open end and an aperture thru itswall and intersecting said channel, and a second member having acylindrical portion extending into said open end of said open-endedmember beyond the said channel, comprising a wire of relatively hard,strong material in said channel and a second wire of relatively soft,plastic material also in said channel, both oi.' said wires being woundinto said channel thru said aperture b y relative rotation between saidopen-ended member and said second mentioned member, and' means toincrease the pressure on said soft, plastic wire and on said open-endedmember and said second mentioned member, comprising continuing to windsaid hard, strong wire into said channel after said-soft, plastic wirebreaks.

7. A means for forming a Joint between an open-ended member having acircumferential channel within said open end and an aperture thru anouter wall thereof and intersecting said channel, and a second memberhaving a cylindrical portion extending into said open end of saidopen-ended memberbeyond the said channel, comprising a. wire ofrelatively hard, strong material in said channel and a second wire ofrelatively soft, plastic material also in said channel, both of saidwires being wound into said channel thru said aperture by relativerotation between said open-ended member and said second mentionedmember, and'means to exert a longitudinal pressure on said soft, plasticwire to lwedge said soft, plastic wire between an inner wall of saidchannel and said second mentioned member and to also exert a directpressure against said open-ended member and said second mentionedmember, comprising continuing to wind said hard, strong wire into saidchannel thru the said end wall aperture thereof after said soft, plasticwire breaks.

- ALDEN E. OSBORN.

